Best Integration package for Modicon 984 PLCs?

L

Thread Starter

LP

There is Wonderware, Intellution, RS -View,Iconics-genesis, etc.

Which one is the best to work with Modicon 984 PLCs??
One of my plants wants to use Iconics, but we do not have it anywhere else. I keep on pressuring them into RS-View or Wonderware. What is the best thing to do?
 
Wonderware InTouch works for us. I've developed several HMIs with InTouch and various types of Modicon PLCs and other hardware. You should try to standardize on a single, widely available vendor, in order to get a break on licenseing costs.
 
All of these packages will work well with The modicon 984 plcs as well as the current offering. The main advantage that the iconics has is that it is more open for integration to other software packages and level 2 networks due to its direct use of windows features. If you know how to use RSview and Wonderware it should be quite easy to learn Iconics Genesis as well.
 
I've used Wonderware with the Modicon 984. It seems to work quite satisfactorily as far as it goes but the internal scripting language is
quite limited. It's hard to accomplish much beyond the standard functionality (although that will take you quite a distance).

I've also used RSView with Allen Bradley PLC5 processors. Rockwell embeds VBA in RSView but RSView itself has "weak knees" and you end up
doing most of the important stuff if VBA. Besides, RSView was intended for use with other Rockwell and AB products.

I finally settled on VB6 for my HMI needs. It's not as "cute" as Wonderware but way more powerful and LOTS cheaper. Unless you really have
a need the high-priced HMI's give it a try.
 
I worked in other projects eith Wonderware and Factory Link but best is Infilink from Kessler Ellis you should ask them if they have the
driver for yor PLC, is Affordable and would be the best choise to standarize on your plant. If you need further assistance please let me
know.
 
This may sound silly but have you considered visual Basic as your delivery platform. Supplemented of course with a communications library.

The adavantage is that you have a real programming environment at you disposal. We as real a programming evironment that VB allows. With a little extra effort VC would provide even more flexibility. Another major advantage is not being stuck in a limited or controlled
devlopment environment.

Dave
 
The supported package from Schneider Electric is Monitor Pro. For low I/O or tag counts, Schneider Electric will be introducing a low end
package called Vijeo Look later this year.
 
There are a number of HMI packages that will display tags and communicate with your PLC. You need to consider your need. Are you planning to access all the data from all the PLC's in each plant AND push that data in to a database such as Oracle for retrieval by other software packages (financial,inventory,shipping)?? Are you just building islands for each of your individual systems?? Consider this: Data or No Data.
 
Wonderware InTouch works for us. I've developed several HMIs with InTouch and various types of Modicon PLCs and other hardware. You should try to standardize on a single, widely available vendor, in order to get a break on licenseing costs.
 
Wonderware is the best package to work with Modicon Modbus. We have executed a lot of projects using this cobination and it works very well without any communication issues. Wonderware package features help you to develop the application to you requirement. However, if cost is the issue you can always develop a VB program
 
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